Image: theyucatantimes.com
After a massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City on September 9, many survivors have been left homeless.
The quake saw the death of more than 300 people and damaged 11,000 homes.
Architects are now turning to ‘bottle brick technology’ or ‘eco-bricks’ which experts say is 4 times more resistant to earthquakes than concrete.
But many are concerned about the safety of the buildings as bottle brick homes are literally made from plastic bottles.
These plastic bottles are packed solid with earth and sand and laid on top of each other; bound with mud and string these bottles form quake-resistant shelter.
Ingrid Vaca Diez via Treehugger.comArchitects are urging people to donate plastic bottles so that emergency shelters can be built for 2 or 4 people made homeless by the quake; it is estimated that about 2000 plastic bottles is needed for each emergency shelter.
Bottle brick technology has been used in various parts of the world and is creating cleaner environments and creating wealth by turning something that can take on average 450 years to break down.
In Bolivia, Ingrid Vaca Diez is solving the litter and homelessness problem, by building homes using plastic and glass bottles.
The Balili Elementary School in Philippines completed building a pilot park, using approximately 900 eco-bricks.
Eco-bricks are a way forward and earthquake prone communities should look into using the bottle brick technology to combat the infrastructural devastation caused by quakes.
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